LAGWAR | GAMING'S BEST IN TOP NOTCH MEDIOCRITY

SAR: The Top X Things to Know About FFXIV

Raise your hand if you realized we have a blockbuster, AAA MMORPG releasing in the next month. Don’t be shy, I’d bet a lot of people didn’t raise their hand, but it’s true. On September 22nd, pre-order customers will be knee-deep in Square Enix’s (SE) latest MMO offering: Final Fantasy XIV. The game hasn’t received [...]

SAR: On Hype and Satisfaction

If there’s one common thread that ties American MMOs together, it’s their unfailing ability to hype their product beyond all reasonable expectations. MMOs are saviors and inasmuch as games like Guild Wars 2 try to “challenge the conventions” they proclaim their MMO-messiahship with twisting tongues. The irony of focusing on day one box sales in [...]

WoWWatch: The rise of e-sports

As most people who read these columns know I am a so-called “lore whore”. I do not PvP. In the rare instances that I do, I generally die. Often. And frequently. But that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like to be the A-Rod of arenas, it is just that my proficiency at PvP mirrors my proficiency at basketball – nonexistent. Like basketball or football the skill set required for excelling at high levels of arena play is rare, and requires extensive practice to hone. Similar to football, basketball, or any major sport watching the best players matched up head to head can be quite entertaining. So why isn’t WoW arenas a sport or Starcraft 2 for that matter? Will they ever be? Read on for my thoughts on the future of “e-sports”.

WoWWatch: Know your role.

I am absolutely horrible at basketball. Just really, really bad. Ever seen a Harlem Globetrotters game against the Generals? Well pretty much anyone looks like the Globetrotters when matched against me. I can’t pass, I can’t shoot, I can’t dribble – and despite 16 years of playing soccer and developing some freakishly disproportionate leg muscles – I can’t jump either. Luckily no one is ever going to inform me out of the blue that I have to give up my job and become a basketball player. Our characters in MMO’s though are sometimes asked to do just that: change roles. How do you deal with it?

Lifenet Podcast Celebrates 50 Episodes in Style

Celebrating their 50th episode, Lagwar’s Fallen Earth LifeNet Podcast is giving away several free product keys (that’s a key to a full copy of Fallen Earth), Clone Psychoactive Shots (for an XP boost), interceptors, weapons  and other in-game prizes to listeners and party-goers!
The 50th episode will air live Saturday, September 4, at 9:30 p.m. EDT [...]

FE Devs Respond to Severed Letterhead

Back in July I sent a letter to Fallen Earth developers declaring I had killed one of their staff and then sent their head with a note written on it.  I have included what I wrote on the decaying skull here:
Dear Fallen Earth Department of Free Stuff;
My name is Xerb Painhunter.  I’ve spent most of [...]

Story Matters: Star Wars the Old Republic

2011

1977

$100+ million

$11 million

It was May 25th, 1977:  I was 8 years old.  Jimmy Carter presided over the U.S. government.   You could still buy a Tab.  I don’t know how, but I convinced my mom to let me see the movie with my friends and we stood outside for hours!  I saw it more than 10 [...]

APB First Impressions

Many of you don’t like detailed prose, so here is a short summary.  You can read further to see the details.
Key points:

Great download and install
No auto run key or ability to map
Cops versus robbers MMO Shooter
Conforms to normal MMORPG conventions
Outstanding graphics and awesome PvP game play
Built in voice chat
Looks like real world money can impact [...]

Books vs. Games

“Teens are computer addicted. They are sitting behind a computer all day long instead of reading a good book, going outside or watching a good play.”  At least, that is what my grandma always says. Is it really that bad? Is reading a book better than playing a video game? This is the reason I [...]

Next gen? Or just new?

Next gen. It is an abbreviation for, next generation. No, I’m not talking about Star Trek the Next Generation. I talking about how gaming consoles are actually described in generations. At the moment we are expecting Gen. 8 according to Wikipedia. The recent development is that with each release of new consoles, we call [...]

Editor’s Blog: Used Game Sales Piracy?

The Interwebs have gone nuts over a controversial subject posted over at Penny Arcade concerning whether or not buying used games is good or not for the industry.  Some bloggers have even taken it a step further and have begun to compare buying used software to outright piracy (See Syncane).  Although there are extremists who [...]

Editor’s Blog: Video game bans and the double standard

That’s right. UK Defense Secretary Liam Fox has called for a ban on EA’s latest military shooter, Medal of Honor. For some, the call for a ban may be very close to the heart. After all, Medal of Honor’s online multiplayer mode gives players the option to play as the Taliban.   [...]